World War II By Molly Siebert

Causes of US entering WWII Military Support of Allies -Neutrality Act and Lend-Lease allow US to supply Britain with war goods German Sub Attacks on US naval destroyers while escorting British ships Japanese Imperialism – US economic sanctions against Japan to protest aggression US Enters WWII December 8, 1941 December 7, 1941 Japan attacks Pearl Harbor

Allies v. Axis Powers ► Allies  Great Britain  France  Soviet Union (after 6/1941)  U.S. (after 12/1941)  Plus many smaller European nations ► Axis Powers  Germany  Italy  Japan

Pearl Harbor ► Japan was working on expanding empire throughout the Pacific ► The U.S. had a trade embargo on Japan to try and deter Japan from invading countries ► U.S. was able to intercept and break Japan's secret codes ► Intercepted the code about Pearl Harbor - sent the message on a slower telegram (by accident) to warn U.S. Navy about attack

Pearl Harbor Continued It was a Sunday morning - U.S. military was taken off guard 2 full blown attacks on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941 Impact/Damage on U.S. Impact/Damage on U.S. ► o 2,400 U.S. military and civilians lost their lives ► o 1,178 U.S. military and civilians wounded ► o 18 ships and 350 planes sunk or damaged

Pearl Harbor Continued ► Japan viewed as a stunning victory ► December 8, 1941, U.S. declares war on Japan ► December 11, 1941, Germany and Italy declare war on U.S.

Battle of the Atlantic ► 1939 – 1945 (Jan – July 1943 were decisive) ► German U-Boats were sinking unprotected U.S. and other Allies' merchant ships ► Allies began using convoys to protect ships ► The Allies also used a sonar system to detect German U-Boats ► The Germans were very successful in the beginning, but by mid , the Allies had the upper hand

"The Battle of the Atlantic was the only thing that really frightened me" - Winston Churchill.

Battle of Stalingrad ( June 1941 – January 31, 1943) ► Germans violated nonaggression pact with Soviet Union and attacked ► Hitler hoped to captured Soviet oil fields ► Germans nearly won (controlled 9/10 of the city) ► Winter of 1943 hit

Battle of Stalingrad cont… ► Hitler forced Germans to stay put ► Soviets used to their advantage and won ► Soviets lost 1,100,000 people in this battle ► Turning point in WWII ► From that point on, Soviet army began to move westward towards Germany

Normandy Invasion (D-Day) ► June 6, 1944 ► During this time, Soviet Union was pushing into Poland and Allies were pushing North in Italy ► Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and George Patton influential in leading attack ► 3 million ally troops to attack

Normandy Invasion cont. D – Day  60 mile stretch of beach  156,000 troops  4,000 landing craft  600 warships  11,000 planes  Largest land-sea-air operation in history  Omaha beach known as one of the most brutal areas brutal areas

► The D-Day Museum in Portsmouth, England claims a total of 2,500 Allied troops died, while German forces suffered between 4,000 and 9,000 total casualties on D-Day. ► The Heritage Foundation in the U.S. claims 4,900 U.S. dead on D-Day ► The U.S. Army Center of Military History cites a total casualty figure for U.S. forces at 6,036. This number combines dead and wounded in the D-Day battles ► John Keegan, American Historian and Author believes that 2,500 Americans died along with 3,000 British and Canadian troops on D-Day ► By the end of the of the entire Normandy Campaign, nearly 425,000 Allied and German troops were killed, wounded, or missing.

Normandy Invasion cont. The battle continues ► W/in 1 month, a million more troops ► September 1944, France was freed from Nazi control Nazi control

Battle of the Bulge ► December 16, 1944 ► German tanks broke through American lines (80 mile front) ► Fought in Belgium - Germany was trying to capture Antwerp ► Very brutal war - one of the most extensive of U.S. military (120 American GIs captured and mowed down by SS machine guns and pistols)

Battle of the Bulge Cont. ► Germans were winning in the beginning ► 120,000 Germans died (also lost 600 tanks and guns and 1,600 planes – leading to defeat)) ► 80,000 Americans died ► Americans won, but were close to losing

Yalta Conference ► Took place February 1945 before WWII was over ► Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill met in Yalta in the Soviet Union to discuss post WWII ► Set up United Nations

Yalta – “The Big 3”

April 12, 1945 ► At the beginning of his 4 th Term, President Franklin D. Roosevelt passes away ► The U.S. went through a major grieving period ► Harry S. Truman, as Vice-President, takes the role as President

The end of Hitler ► April 30, 1945 Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide (gun shot and cyanide) ► Bodies burned in street ► Cover of Time magazine May 7, 1945

V-E Day ► May 8, 1945 ► General Eisenhower accepted a surrender by the Third Reich ► V-E day = Victory in Europe day ► 1 st part of War was over

Potsdam ► July – August 1945 ► Truman, (Churchill and then Clement Atlee) and Stalin met in Potsdam, Germany ► Drew up a blueprint to disarm Germany and eliminate the Nazi regime

Potsdam Continued ► Divided Germany into 4 sections (occupied by France, Britain, U.S. and Soviet Union) ► Berlin to be divided up in East (or Soviet Germany) ► Set up the Nuremberg Trials to persecute Nazi leaders ► Japan must “unconditionally surrender”

Potsdam, Germany

Nuremberg Trials ► International tribunal court tried Nazi officials ► Over 23 nations tried Nazi war criminals in Nuremberg, Germany ► 12 of the 22 defendants were sentenced to death ► 200 other officials were found guilty, but give lesser sentences

Battle of the Coral Sea ► Prior to this battle, the Japanese were winning every battle and taking over the Pacific ► May U.S. and Australia stopped Japan from invading ► Japan won the actual battle, but the allies were able to stop Japan invasion for the first time ► U.S. was beginning to use the Island Hopping technique to weaken Japan’s forces

Battle of Midway ► June 1942 ► Admiral Chester Nimitz intercepted Japanese code ► U.S. launched surprise attack on Japan at Pacific island called Midway ► U.S. was successful in the Battle of Midway

Battle of Midway ► The Japanese lost 4 carriers, a heavy cruiser, 3 destroyers, some 275 planes, at least 4,800 men, and suffered heavy damage among the remaining vessels of their fleet. ► American losses included 1 carrier, the Yorktown, a destroyer, about 150 planes, and 307 men

Iwo Jima ► Island in the Pacific that was critical for U.S. win ► March 1945 ► 27,000 Japanese held Iwo Jima ► U.S. won  26,800 Japanese troops died  6,000 U.S. Marines died

Battle of Okinawa ► June 22, 1945 ► Japan’s last defensive stronghold ► Japan used 1,900 Kamikaze attacks ► 110,000 Japanese troops died ► 7, ,500 U.S U.S. troops died ► U.S. won

Manhattan Project ► 200,000 Japanese died due to the Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ► Hiroshima  August 6, 1945  “Little Boy”  In 43 seconds, the city collapsed to dust ► Nagasaki  August 9, 1945  “Fat Man”  Leveled half of the city

V-J Day ► August 15, 1945: Japan offers unconditional surrender ► September 2, 1945: V-J Day = Victory in Japan Day (Formal surrender)

U.S. Occupation of Japan ► Similar trials held for Japanese war criminals ► 7 out of 28 leaders were found guilty and sentenced to death (including Tojo) ► U.S. occupied Japan for 6 years under the direction of General Douglas MacArthur  Called for a New Constitution (w/ free elections and women suffrage)  Introduced a free market economy